When we meet Jesse in The Last of Us season two, he is someone that many rely on – good natured, able to handle a crisis, and sticks to the rules at all costs, becoming someone who keeps Jackson safe for the survivors.
He also has a very complicated relationship with Dina, with whom he has patrolled with in the years between seasons one and two.
Ahead of the launch of season two, actor Young Mazino talks about what motivates Jesse, his position within The Last of Us world, and the tangled pseudo love triangle Jesse finds himself in as the season unfolds.
What intrigued you the most about playing Jesse in season 2?
What intrigued me was that Neil Druckmann had already created a beloved character in the game, and when I got to the scripts for the show, I noticed there were some parallels and similarities for sure.
But Craig had specified this character in a context that made a lot of sense in the show. His writing really informed as to what he was looking for. Jesse is referred to as ‘Captain Wyoming’ at one point. When I read that line, I really locked in on what Craig was going for.
Did you have a relationship with the game before the show?
It’s strange how things work because when The Last of Us season one came out, I didn’t yet have a PlayStation. I loved watching all the cinematic cut scenes from the first Last of Us, the first game that someone had stitched together and put on YouTube. I watched it like a movie.
In between the playable parts of the game, there are a lot of cinematic scenes. I remember watching it one night and being enthralled. Then fast forwarding: I didn’t know that they made a second game and then this job comes up, and then I played the game.
Did you know that you were meeting with them about Jesse or was it more of a general meeting?
I think I knew what it was about. I think I knew there was only one character.
Had they seen you in the Netflix limited series Beef and that’s why they wanted to meet?
I’m pretty sure they’d seen Beef, but kudos to their amazing process that I was able to actually sit down in a room with them and talk for an hour. I was happy to audition, but after the meeting Craig goes ‘Don’t worry about it. You’re okay.’
I walked away and then a few days later I get a call from the reps. Part of me was relieved, part of me was a little scared too! I know they had somebody else in mind, even from the pitch deck, but it felt organic.”
What can you tell us about Jesse’s role in the community?
I think Jesse is somebody who loves to get lost in the work. I personally found a lot of peace and solace in a turbulent time in my life in chopping wood in the forest behind my parents’ backyard. I think Jesse has a similar state of mind. He’s an outsider. He’s not from Jackson. He found refuge in this community, and yet you can tell even in the first episode he’s a bit of a loner.
That’s what he feels for Ellie. He knows she feels the same; being on the outside looking in. So he loves the work and going on solo patrols. I have a friend like this who is a bit of a vagabond and he loves nature and he doesn’t really mesh well in society, but he wants to contribute. And I think Jesse’s the same. The solitude is huge. And to have a safe place that allows you to have solitude is a really interesting setting for a character to come alive, but then there are matters of love that are discussed.
How would you describe his relationship with love and, specifically, with Dina?
There’s a huge longing for him, in finding that one person or finding love, especially in a post-apocalyptic world. But in the context of the situation, Jesse knows and realises that there are things that are beyond love; beyond serving one person and instead serving a whole community that relies on his work.
I think that weighs heavily on him because he owes his life to the town of Jackson. This is something maybe he and Dina had a conversation about at one point. And Dina is such a free-spirited, free-wheeling soul that this part of Jesse’s groundedness is something that I’m guessing would create contention.
What does Dina get from Ellie that she doesn’t from Jesse?
I think there’s an excitement. Ellie brings an energy that Jesse doesn’t necessarily have.
There’s a moment when Dina and Ellie are dancing for the first time, Ellie’s nervous and Jesse’s watching and brooding in the back of the room. And I think that scene is a great way to show why Dina is maybe moving on.
What is it about this show that you feel is so engaging for people, whether they’ve played the game or not?
I think the appeal is in the mastery of storytelling. Frequently when you’re working on something that’s genre, like a horror or thriller, that tends to be the focal point.
Here you have a wonderful IP built by Neil Druckmann and his team. Then you have a really great storyteller like Craig Mazin, who’s done everything from Hangover movies to Chernobyl. So he understands storytelling.
Then combine that with a detailed, oriented world that is so grounded in the reality of both monsters and a community. On top of that is a Shakespearean tragedy and tale of revenge, with love intertwined within it all.
It boggles my mind when I think about the scale of what they’re able to create.